


A Promise That Belongs To Us

by Honey_and_Chocolate



Series: Name Of Love [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, College Student Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Older Eren Yeager, Reincarnation AU, Singer Eren Yeager, Younger Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:35:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25444762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honey_and_Chocolate/pseuds/Honey_and_Chocolate
Summary: Somewhere in this world, if we can meet each other. Please don't forget... about me, the truth about me.
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Series: Name Of Love [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1887724
Comments: 5
Kudos: 111





	A Promise That Belongs To Us

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when you listen to Name of Love on repeat after reading the latest manga chapter.
> 
> For anyone who'd like to know, Eren is 26 and Levi is 21. Just wanted to get this idea out of my head before it consumed any more of my sleep.
> 
> Enjoy your reading~

Levi listened to the song, unblinking and motionless, staring straight ahead at the wall in front of him as if it would give him the answers to the million questions swirling around in his head. He was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, clutching a pillow so tightly that the poor thing would have suffocated had it been alive. His eyes were wide and brimming with unshed tears and his breathing was labored. He knew the singer's name and had seen his photo but he didn't want to believe it in case he didn't remember. But now everything was different. His mind was at battle.

_It can’t be…_

**_It’s possible._ **

_But… I don’t wanna get my hopes up._

**_Who else knows about those words?_ **

_It can be a coincidence…_

**_Take the chance. What do you have to lose?_ **

_The last shred of my sanity that’s keeping me together._

**_You’re impossible._ **

_… I know._

___

Eren was walking down the streets like any normal person. No bodyguards, no security or fancy cars. Just a man with big sunglasses wearing a black t-shirt and blue ripped jeans, like any other person. No fangirls screaming their heads off, no children wanting autographs and no mother requesting him to hold their toddler for a picture. What Eren would give to have every day be like this.

People were bustling around him, walking and minding their business. Completely ignoring his existence except for the few accidental shoulder bumps here and there. And Eren never thought he’d be thankful for the day people ignored him. Even if it’s just one day, he’d take it.

He refused to even touch his phone. He had switched the thing off the moment he’d stepped out alone. He knew there’d be hundreds of missed calls, angry voicemails and worried texts and threats. Well, worried texts from Armin and threats from Mikasa but he couldn’t care less. He was fed up being cooped up in the house or the studio or between four big meaty walls of bodyguards. This day was for him and him alone and he deserved it. He’ll just enjoy today and worry about everything later. His friends would understand.

The first thing he did after entering the nearest park was going to the ice-cream truck and getting a choco-bar. Mikasa had forbidden him from eating too much ice-cream, said she wouldn’t want Eren to suddenly lose his voice because he decided to stuff his face with it. One harmless choco-bar wouldn’t hurt. He told himself that as he savored the chocolate goodness. Oh how he’d missed just strolling to an ice-cream truck and buying whatever the fuck he wanted without fans surrounding him or camera flashes going around him. The little things in life.

Eren watched kids play while sitting on a bench with an elderly lady who started conversing with him. She was sweet and easy to get along with and reminded him so much of his mother with her gentle laugh and the tender and soft look in her eyes when she talked to him as if he was her long-lost grandson. She actually had grandchildren who ran up to them halfway during their conversation. A boy who looked about seven and his older sister who looked about eleven.

And then the little brats recognized him. Eren almost dropped his choco-bar in surprise. Almost. It would’ve been a shame if he didn’t get to finish the thing after longing for it for so long.

To his surprise, the sweet lady shushed her grandchildren before they could scream to the whole park about their little discovery, telling them he had a disguise on for a reason and he was just a civilian now, not a famous star. She wasn’t even surprised, didn’t even bat an eye when the children squealed about his identity. She had known all along.

Apparently, the old lady had recognized his voice as well as her grandchildren. But she also told him that he had a poor disguise. Well, in his defense, he just had to hide his eyes, they were just as popular as his voice and without them visible to others he looked like any other person (well, maybe even a teenager or a college student considering his outfit). The old lady agreed.

Since he’d warmed up to the lady and the children didn’t tell anyone else about his identity he decided to give them autographs as taking pictures would have been suspicious. By that time, his choco-bar was finished, the lady and her grandchildren left, so he threw the stick in the trash can near the bench and was on his way.

He passed by people again, petted every damn dog that walked close enough for him to and almost got recognized too many times to count by the dog owners. Keyword being almost, as he walked away as soon as he saw them looking at him intently. He really needed to improve his disguising skills and change his voice a little while talking.

Eren came across a university; The Shiganshina University. And froze. Memories of long-forgotten times resurfaced in his mind. The past of humanity the people now called ‘The Titan Age’. The age in which humanity almost came to extinction 2000 or so years ago. The past that Eren tried really hard to forget. The past that still to this day, in this life, haunts him.

His feet took him inside the gate without him noticing.

Buildings filled with students were everywhere. A few trees here and there, a small fountain in the garden. And there it was, standing proud beside the small fountain, shining bright in the afternoon sun, made of the same titan crystal he was so familiar with. The statue of the savior of the world, Humanity’s Strongest Soldier.

The statue stood at seven feet and was made of titan crystal that made it impossible to miss what it was and what it stood for. The crystals glinted in the sunlight and Eren could see a man in a uniform and a cape that was made to look like it was blowing in the wind, resembling the wings of a bird taking flight. The insignia of the Scouting Legion was on the back of the cape; one crystal wing made to appear darker than the other. The man held a sword in his hand, the other lying broken on the ground. The sword the man held was penetrating the jaw of a big head that seemed to be screaming in pain, it had no lips and so many visible teeth. Its eyes were blown wide in terror and the long locks of the head were in disarray making it look like the head had fallen from the impact of the attack. Its long tongue was hanging out limply and was stuck in its mouth by the sword holding it down.

Eren knew that head too well, had seen it many times while leaving it behind to turn into steam and disappear.

His eyes found the figure of the man again – the soldier of Paradis Island that saved everyone, who defeated the most powerful titan, The Founding Titan. The hero everyone needed and knew about and respected, much like Helos, but Eren knew this was not fake. It had truly happened and he remembered every single detail as to how it went down.

~~

Eren panted for breath as he clutched his abdomen with his right hand, the only limb that was left in his body. The Scouts had arrived before the world was destroyed but they still couldn’t save most of Marley. The Colossal Titans had fallen, the Founding Titan had lost and Eren was dragged out of his titan mercilessly and had ripped out most of his limbs in the process. He was then stabbed in his abdomen by the very titan slaying blades that he once held in his hands.

Now, _he_ was the bad guy. _He_ was the one that needed to be killed by those blades.

He knew he deserved the merciless treatment he had gotten.

Footsteps echoed in the deathly silence as they neared him. How different the silence was than the rumbling of the Colossal Titans that were wrecking havoc just a few hours earlier. A pair of black-clad feet came in his vision and he smiled. He was here. He would end this shit show and then Paradis would no longer be feared.

The figure crouched down beside his head and with much difficulty Eren raised his head from the concrete he was lying on to look at the other’s face. Titan steam was everywhere around them preventing anyone from seeing or finding them. He looked so broken, so torn and guilty even though he knew it needed to be done. This was the first time Eren had seen tears in his eyes. And they flowed freely because nothing was left to stop them. He had lost everything, there was no one else left to cry for. Eren was the last person still alive that he truly cared about besides Hanji. But he won’t be alive for long.

His dysfunctional eye, the scar that ran from his lips to his right eye and the ones on his left cheek just below his other eye and the two fingers that were no longer there in his right hand. They still managed to be beautiful and breathtaking to Eren even if most would find them creepy or ugly. Eren’s smile widened and eyes brightened at the sight of him.

And the man looked torn between returning that smile and punching him in the face to wipe that happy look Eren gave at the sight of him.

“Why?” He croaked out in a broken voice, clutching his remaining sword tightly.

Eren’s smile softened. “You know why.” He could feel the blood dripping out from the corner of his lips.

The man shook his head from side-to-side. “No, I don’t. Tell me,” his plea was desperate.

Eren reached to brush his raven bangs away from his blue-grey eyes that still refused to stop the tears from leaking. “It had to be done. You know that.”

A sob escaped him and the dam broke, “You were the only one left, Eren! You were all I had left of my team! Everyone else died and I watched helplessly. But I was able to move on because I still had you as my responsibility, you were still there at the end of the day, I still had someone to be strong for. Then you fucked it all up and I had to be the one to kill you. Why Eren?! Tell me why!?”

“You said to kill me if I got out of control. You were just doing your duty for humanity.”

“I want answers, Eren! I want to know what you were doing all of this for!”

Eren cupped his cheek and he leaned into the touch without any resistance and put his hand on his over his cheek. “The world was afraid of Paradis because of the Wall Titans. But there are no Colossals in the walls and there will be no titan shifters after this.”

The man looked at him confused. Eren smiled as he caressed his cheek. “There will be no passing down of titan abilities from now. Shifters will die after their 13 years are up but they will not be able to pass down the ability by feeding themselves to mindless titans. Their titans will die with them, I made sure of that.”

Eren started coughing violently as blood dribbled down his mouth. The man cupped his cheek to turn his face back towards him and he looked in pain at seeing him in this state.

With much difficulty, Eren continued, “Shifters can live their remaining lives and turn into their titan forms all they want. But after their time is up that titan will be gone forever. No more titans, Eldians will be free from their curse and won’t be able to turn into titans either.

“But people wouldn’t believe the Island Devils if we told them this. They would still hate us and try to annihilate us because of the Wall Titans. And I still had to take revenge on Marley for being the cause of our fallen comrades and fellow Eldians who were forcefully turned into titans. I killed three birds with one stone.”

Another coughing fit caught him. More blood fell from his lips. He had little time left.

“I freed the Colossal Titans and got revenge on Marley. The Scouts got rid of the Colossals. Now there are no walls and no titans in them to be afraid of. But I needed a hero to settle this once and for all, that people would listen to and believe every word he said. Someone to save the world from the Devil of Paradis who was also from Paradis.”

Eren looked pointedly at the man and by the look on his face he knew he understood the rest of the plan. He understood why he was able to bring the Founder down, understood why he was able to strike a killing blow. Because that’s what Eren’s plan was all along. He wanted it to end like this, with Humanity’s Last Hope ending in becoming the villain and Humanity’s Strongest ending as the hero who brought him down.

The sobs escaped the man’s lips freely and Eren could feel the time slipping away like sand slipping from a clenched fist. So he gathered everything he had in him to say the next words.

“You will be the new Helos. The one who ended the titans and freed the world from their curse. People will accept Paradis then, they will accept all the Eldians because they will lose the ability to turn into mindless titans the second I die. Paradis will be free then. _You_ will be free. Go open that tea shop of yours that you wanted so badly. Your duty is fulfilled.”

Eren took the man’s hand in his and intertwined their fingers, clutching tightly for dear life. The man squeezed back just as tightly.

“Just promise me one thing. Somewhere in this world, if we can meet in the future. Please don’t forget… about me, the truth about me. Even if-even if everyone thinks I am a devil. Promise me you’ll remember the truth.”

He nodded vigorously while clutching Eren’s hand to his heart. “I promise. Nobody else has to know besides us. This is a promise that belongs to us.”

Eren smiled in relief and could feel his body going limp and the pain slowly numbing away by each second.

“I’ll see you again, love.”

The man’s eyes widened at his words. “E-Eren… I-I’m so sorry I didn’t realize it until recently. I love you, Eren. So much.”

Eren counted his last breaths and breathed out, “I know, love. I know.”

~~

Eren had no idea when he’d started crying. He only knew that he had taken his glasses off and was now wiping his tears away. Just like he had thought, the world was not afraid of the Eldians anymore. Because it was a devil of Paradis who had killed the Founding Titan. The hero that had saved humanity. Humanity’s Strongest Soldier.

Armin had remembered their past life but Mikasa didn’t. Neither did Jean, Connie, Sasha or Historia. But all the titan shifters remembered, including Armin, Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, Ymir, Eren’s father and his brother and Eren himself. All the previous titan shifters he’d met so far remembered their past. The others forgot for the good.

Armin had told him that Levi was honored after Eren had died, the whole world respected him and when Levi had told the people about the titan shifters no longer having the ability to pass their titan down and that it would die with them when their time was up and that Eldians were no longer able to turn into mindless titans, everyone believed him, just as he’d thought.

It was Armin who had made the statue in his final years when Levi was being honored in Shiganshina when it was rebuilt after years. Something to show the world that the Titans Age was real that wouldn’t vaporize and to reinforce the lie Eren had sacrificed himself for. Shortly after that, Levi had retired and opened a tea shop in Shiganshina because Eren had told him to instead of killing himself after getting rid of the titans like his original plan was after they’d come to know about the outside world. He had then lived a long and peaceful life just because his fallen comrades and Eren didn’t get the chance to.

And now Eren was given another chance at life so he could actually live and no longer had to worry about dying any moment. The fate gave him another chance to see him again, to fulfill his promise. The only problem was he had not yet found him. Eren had lived his life so far searching for him and waiting for that one moment where he would spot that raven hair or get a glimpse of him during one of his concerts. Eren had become a singer and most of his songs were related to his past life and the struggles they had done for their freedom, hoping that one day he would recognize one of the songs or words and come looking for him.

After he had met his other friends that he realized not everyone remembered, only titan shifters. He might have forgotten about Eren or had not been reincarnated at all. And Eren longed to see him again, to hear his voice and feel his presence. He prayed everyday that Levi, by some miracle, had remembered, that he was out there and didn’t forget about him.

“Somewhere in this world, if we can meet in the future. Please don’t forget about me, the truth about me,” Eren repeated the words he’d said to him, the words he had based his latest song on that was so close to his heart. Hoping against hope that he’ll recognize the words, that he’ll remember.

“E-Eren?” A breathless voice said from behind him and he heard a thud as if something had fallen.

Eren knew that voice, had heard it bark orders, instructing to clean properly, giving advice and breaking into sobs when he was dying.

He didn’t want to turn around, didn’t want to get his hopes up in case his mind had tricked him with the voice because he was becoming emotional. It could even be a fan who’d recognized him; he’d taken his sunglasses off after all. Still, he turned around and gasped in relief and surprise when he saw _him_.

Levi was standing there, his raven hair styled in that familiar undercut, wearing a pale blue t-shirt and black jeans, a black and navy blue backpack hanging from one of his shoulders, still as short as ever with his hands clutching his chest and his eyes and mouth open in shock. His blue-grey eyes were glossy with tears behind his thin black-framed glasses and there were a few books lying haphazardly at his feet. He’d probably dropped them.

And then his face broke out in the biggest relieved and happy smile as he launched himself at Eren, burying his face in his chest while clinging tightly to him as he cried, afraid to let go. Eren returned the hug with just as much desperation and relief as him and he felt more tears streaming down his face.

“Oh, my God! Eren, I found you, it really is you! Oh, my God,” Levi cried out between sobs.

“You remembered,” Eren whispered. He was so relieved that he’d finally found Levi again _and_ he remembered.

Levi moved away from him enough to look up at him, “Of course I remembered. I promised you, didn’t I? I promised to not forget about you, the truth about you. A promise that belongs to us.”

Eren hugged him tightly to his chest once again. “A promise that belongs to us,” he repeated as he kissed Levi’s forehead.

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeknownst to the two love birds, the other students saw their heartwarming reunion and the pictures are all over the internet with the captions "Famous Singer Eren Yeager Reunites With His Lover In Shiganshina University" and "Star Singer Eren Yeager Gives His Lover A Surprise Visit", followed by "OMG They look so cute!!!!", "They are standing in front of the crystal statue. How romantic" and "Well, now we know Eren's sexuality". Eren's manager, publicist and bodyguards, along with Mikasa, are freaking the fuck out because they have no idea when Eren went out and in Mikasa's case; when the fuck did Eren get a boyfriend?! Oops.
> 
> Fun Fact: Eren was eating a choco-bar ice-cream because I was craving it while writing this.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Feedback is greatly appreciated.


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